Odd One Out
by Cupzy
Summary: The Skullgirl is defeated. Things are back to normal. Filia and Carol have returned to school, along with a few other acquaintances. Today, there's a new addition to the class. However, it becomes apparent that he isn't an ordinary student...
1. Chapter 1

I walked through the empty corridor. A few minutes ago, a bell had rung. I saw people my age tumble into the rooms that branched off from the corridor. Along with mine, a second set of footsteps could also be heard, larger and more profound that my own.

"We're coming towards the classroom now. I hope that you've managed to grasp the basic layout of the school in our short little tour." A voice said, cutting through the silence.

"I think so... But saying that, I'll probably still get lost every once in a while." I replied. The man let out a short chuckle, clearly audible through the emptiness of the hallway.

"Here." He said, slowing to a halt at one of the doors. I walked around him, raising my eyes to the small plate at the top of the door.

'A-6' Was engraved into the small plate. I've seen this sort of system before. The letter at the beginning of the name referenced the floor that the room was located on, whilst the number represented the location of the room on that particular floor. From what I've seen, the building is comprised of two floors.

"Thankfully, lessons haven't started yet, so we won't be interrupting anything." The man said, reaching for the handle.

"Am I going to introduce myself to the class?" I asked.

"Not unless you don't want to." He replied. "But then I'd have to announce that you didn't want to introduce yourself, and wouldn't that be just as embarrassing?"

"It's fine. I'll be quick."

He shot a small smile at me before pushing on the handle. I had previously hear voices from within the room, but they stopped when the door opened. I felt the tension without even entering the room.

I gulped. Introductions were never my strong suit. Perhaps it would just be better to-

"Good morning, everyone. I'm here to introduce a new classmate."

Something tells me I should have thought this through. The man stared back into the hallway, beckoning me in with a few gestures. With nervousness, I stepped into the door.

I felt eyes on me almost instantly. The judging gaze of countless students never ceased to pierce my very soul. Introductions are the foundations for friendship. If someone has a bad impression of you from the get-go, you'll generally find it harder to bond with them later. Therefore, I had to make sure that my introduction to the class was flawlessly executed, to the point where every single person in this room will undoubtedly flock to become my friend.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the time necessary to write up an introductory masterpiece, so I'll just settle for whatever I can say on the spot.

"If you're all willing, then we could just pretend that I gave a decent introduction and leave it at that. Sound good?"

No-one replied. I felt my dignity wear away on the spot as everybody shot me a confused look. I felt like a comedian who just told his best joke, expecting it to send the audience into a frenzy of laughter, and finds himself standing before a completely quiet audience, whereupon someone will cough to themselves to reinforce the sense of awkwardness.

Right on cue, I saw someone place their hand to their mouth and cough.

I shuffled over to my personal tour guide, who, if you haven't figured it out yet, is actually the head of the school.

"Where should I sit?" I asked, descending to a whisper.

"Anywhere you want, as long as it's free." He responded.

I returned to my previous position in front of the class, running my eyes over the available desks in the rooms. I eventually settled on a desk at the corner of the room, placed next to the window. I made my way to the small desk, the entire classroom remaining quiet as I sat myself down on the chair. I felt like I was being silently interrogated.

"Well..." The principal said. "I'll be on my way. Please try and make your new classmate feel at home here."

And, with those parting words, he walked out of the classroom, leaving me to be stared at by the majority of the classroom.

A few students had returned to talking amongst themselves, and, within a few minutes, the room had returned to its previous atmosphere. Almost as if I never appeared. I turned my head to look out of the window. At least it gave me some nice scenery to look at when I was bored.

I felt something against the back of my head. I turned around. On the floor next to my chair, a crumpled-up piece of paper was lying on the floor. I reached for the small projectile, keeping my eyes out for anyone who could have thrown it.

People write notes on these things, right? You don't throw paper balls at someone else unless you wanted to convey a message in the most noticeable way possible, right? I unraveled the small piece of paper. As I suspected, there were a few words hastily scribbled onto it.

_'You're weird'_

I can feel my pride slipping away...

I raised my head, surveying the classroom for anyone who could've wrote such a harmful piece of information. Thankfully, most people who do these sorts of things in classrooms tend to make the grave mistake of watching the person read it, increasing the chances of them being discovered. My eyes met with someone. A girl was looking at me with an odd look of curiosity on her face. As soon as we made eye contact, she instantly looked away, returning her gaze to her desk.

I had found my culprit. Perhaps I would confront her about it when I got the chance.

For now, I believe it's customary in these situations to write a response. I brought out a pen from my pocket, hastily scribbling a few words on the opposite side of the paper:

_'You enjoyed my introduction? I'm glad somebody_ _did.'_

I also took the liberty of drawing a _':D' _onto the paper to prove how painfully sarcastic I was being. I crumpled the paper into a small ball and turned around to face my attacker, who was facing away from me. Cautiously, I took aim.

I flung the tiny ball as far as I could without it looking too obvious that I was actually throwing something. Thankfully, my target hit its mark. The girl seemed quite surprised at the sudden appearance of a small white ball of paper magically appearing on her desk. Rather hastily, she un-crumpled the paper, apparently eager to read whatever was inside.

I felt proud of myself when I saw a small smile on her face after she finished reading it. She shot a glance in my direction, waving at me when she made eye contact. I returned the gesture, happy at my first successful attempt at communication.

We managed to have our little conversation before the first lesson started. This was one of the schools where you didn't have to move around to get to different lessons. Occasionally, the teacher of the room would change to fit the subject. I preferred this system.

The first lesson we had was English. A personal favorite of mine. It went in quickly and uneventfully.

This school has three lessons in a day, each of them one-hundred minutes long, with a break between each. It was an incredibly odd system, one that raised controversy when it was first implemented. I wasn't that worried, personally.

The bell rang before I knew it. I heard the content sighs of students sitting next to me. Most people started piling out of the door almost immediately, probably hurrying to group up with their friends. I lifted myself from the desk, slowly advancing towards the door.

"Hey."

Among the chattering of various students, I heard a particularly loud voice aimed at me. I turned around. The girl from before was staring at me. I had almost completely forgotten about her.

"Oh, It's you." I said nonchalantly, placing my hands into my pockets.

"...You're new, right?" She asked.

"If that wasn't completely obvious already." I replied.

"What's your name?"

"What's yours?" I shot back.

"Filia." She responded.

"Don't you have a second name?"

She went quiet for a few seconds.

"...Medici..."

"Woah! Back up!" I exclaimed, taking a few steps back.

Medici. Such a name wasn't to be thrown around in this city. The Medici family were a group of ruthless mobsters. They were responsible for about half of the city's crimes. They were a large branch of shady dealers and loan sharks, content with anything as long as it resulted in them getting richer. Was I honestly supposed to believe that a girl like this was part of the infamous Medici family?

"Please don't kill me." I requested.

"I won't." She replied. "What's your name?"

"Why should I trust my name with someone like you?" I asked.

"What am I going to do with it, exactly?"

"You could put me on a depopulation list! An endless onslaught of thugs could arrive at my house to torture me!"

"...You're a little paranoid." She stated.

"Paranoia is a good thing to have! You can never be too careful, you know."

"You're weird."

"Perhaps. I believe you've already said something similar." I responded. "So what did you want, anyway?"

"You're a new student. You don't have anyone to hang around, do you?" She asked.

"I find that the company of myself is companionship enough." I responded enthusiastically.

"That's..." She muttered, shaking her head. "You're weird."

"Although I will give you the upper hand in this conversation by saying that I don't have any real friends." I admitted.

"In that case, why don't you come with me? A lot of my friends are pretty weird, so you'll probably be able to get along with them." She offered.

"You're being overly friendly." I pointed out. "How do I know that you aren't leading me into a trap?"

"Just come with me!" She exclaimed.

She wrapped her hand around my wrist, forcibly dragging me out of the classroom.

"I'm being abducted! I require assistance!"

I got a few strange looks from my new classmates. None of them were willing to help. How selfish. They're going to feel pretty bad about themselves when my carcass is found lying in a gutter a few miles away from the school.

I was dragged through the crowded hallway, no-one bothering to heed my pleas for help. It reminded me of a horror story, where there'd be a haunted school and it turns out that every student apart from the main character was a monster after all.

I'm rambling. I don't think I stopped shouting for the duration of our little trip.

I was brought to a halt, much to my relief. We were in an area of the school that I was unfamiliar with. Despite the amount of students, the building was relatively small. It relied on an elevator and two flights of stairs at each side of the hallway as a means of getting to the second floor, meaning that the school was almost entirely made up of two extremely long hallways. Obviously, there was an outdoors area for physical education lessons.

"Sorry for being so late." I heard Filia say.

"It's fine. You didn't keep me waiting." I joked.

"Who's this guy?" I heard a voice say. I turned my head towards the source.

"Hello there." I said pleasantly.

Another girl was staring at me. She was taller than Filia. Her hair was a bright teal color. She wore a small, orange and black hat on her head. What's more, she had two small teal-colored diamonds painted onto her cheeks.

"Are you a jester, by chance?" I asked.

My choice of words appears to have offended the clown. I narrowly missed being knocked out by her punch.

"I knew you were leading me into a trap!" I exclaimed, rushing to free my arm from Filia's grasp. Unfortunately, it seems like she wasn't about to let me go anytime soon.

"So you aren't a jester?" I asked.

"Who is this guy, Filia? And more importantly, why'd you bring him here?" She demanded.

"He just joined our class." Filia explained. "...Come to think of it, you never gave me your name."

"No, I didn't." I responded.

"...Are you going to?" She asked.

"I don't care what his name is. Why did you talk to him in the first place?" The jester butted in.

"My presence is addictive. You'll be drawn to me no matter what you do." I explained.

"You're a weirdo."

"That's exactly what Filia said to me! We're on the path to friendship already!" I exclaimed. I moved over to Filia, bringing my head close to hers.

"I have a plan. What's her name?" I whispered.

"Cerebella." She whispered back.

I moved back to my original position.

"I bet I can guess your name." I proposed.

"I heard you whispering."

"Cerebella, right?" I guessed, pretending not to hear her. I moved backwards as she made another swipe at me.

"Call it a hunch, but I'm starting to get the feeling that you don't want me around here." I said.

Cerebella remained silent, crossing her arms and staring at me with an agitated look.

"Where is everyone else? If this guy is going to be hanging around us from now on, he might as well meet the rest of the girls." She said.

"I'm already here."

The voice that I just heard came from behind me. It sounded like the stuff you'd only hear in nightmares. I quickly turned my head, taking a few steps back when I saw who was standing behind me.

A young girl, easily smaller than both Filia or Cerebella, stood before me. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, with two long bangs running down either side of her head. What grasped my attention wasn't her hairstyle. A large 'X' pattern was carved onto her entire face, several stitches visible throughout. Her eyes were a deep black pool, with a blood red color serving as her cornea.

I wasn't entirely sure what my reaction was supposed to be. What I was staring at could only be described as a half-human. Everything apart from her mutilated face was perfectly normal. She looked at me with a curious expression, her red eyes drilling a hole straight through me.

"...U-Uh..." I mumbled. I felt rooted to the spot. "H-Hi..."

She didn't respond. Instead, she continued to examine me. I felt like I was being assessed by a predator.

Eventually, the tension was broken. She raised a hand, placing it in front of me. The veins on the back of her hand were oddly visible, like what you'd expect to see on someone five times her age.

"It's... Nice to meet you." She spoke. Her voice was like gravel, and sounded even more boyish that Cerebella's did.

"H-Huh?" I grunted. I stared at her hand for a few moments before hesitantly taking it in my own.

"Y-Yeah..." I replied. "A pleasure..."

As soon as we finished our handshake, I quickly moved over to Filia.

"Do you-"

"Just... Try and deal with it." Filia said, successfully answering my question. "She's been through a lot."

"R-Right..." I replied.

"Now we've just got to wait until Squigly gets here." Filia said, returning her attention to Cerebella and Carol.

"What an odd name..." I shared.

"It's a nickname." Filia said. "Her real name is Sienna."

"So what's up with her?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"From what I've seen, all of your friends are pretty..." I trailed off, gazing at Carol for a few seconds. "...Unique."

"Are you talking about me, by chance?"

I heard yet another voice from behind me. Fortunately, it wasn't as grave as Carol's voice. It sounded overly formal, like it came from someone practiced in flattery and proper etiquette.

I swung myself around, bending forward in the process. My face landed mere inches away from the source of the voice.

"Squigly, I presume?" I asked.

The person in front of me jerked back, clearly surprised by my actions. I moved myself forward in response, closely examining her face.

"W-Wha..." She mumbled. Her body couldn't lean back any further. She quickly stepped back, forcing me to correct my posture.

"I apologize for that." I said, thrusting out my arm. "A pleasure to meet you."

Recovering from my assault, the girl stared at my hand, taking it into her own after a few moments.

"I don't mean to be disrespectful..." She replied. "...But have we met before?"

"Perhaps in a previous life." I joked.

"I see... It's nice to meet you." She said. "What's your name?"

"Your left eye..." I said, ignoring her question. "...It's fake, isn't it?"

She seemed surprised that I noticed so quickly. My erratic behavior towards her when we first met was so that I could examine her quickly. I thought it was rather odd that her hair completely covered one side of her face and not the other. I managed to look underneath her hair a few times when I was leaning forward. Her left eye wasn't focusing on me like her right eye was.

"That was fast..." Cerebella said, apparently impressed.

"I hope that was all of your friends. We barely have any time left until our next lessons." I said, looking at my watch.

"You aren't seriously planning on letting this guy hang around us, right?" Cerebella said, her show of brief amazement halted.

"Well, he needs to make friends somehow." Filia replied.

"But he's a weirdo..."

"Coming from the clown..." I muttered. Another fruitless punch was thrown in my direction.

"I'm perfectly fine with having him around. He seems friendly." Squigly said. She was the last person who I expected to accept me. I practically assaulted her when I first met her.

We were interrupted by the bell ringing, signalling us to go to our respective classrooms.

"Looks like time's up." Cerebella stated.

"Indeed. It was nice meeting you." Squigly said, looking in my direction.

"Come to think of it, you never gave us your na-" Filia said.

"We should head back to the classroom." I cut in. "I wouldn't want to leave a bad impression on my first day, now would I?"

I got a few strange looks for my abrupt interruption.

"...You're right. Let's go." Filia said.

"It was a pleasure meeting you all." I parted, beginning to walk away. "Apart from the jester, of course."

I faintly heard some form of insult from Cerebella's mouth. Fortunately, I was already too far away to respond.

"You really enjoy doing that, don't you?" Filia asked, appearing at my side.

"With that getup, she was asking for it."

I heard her giggle among the chatting of the mob of students heading to their lessons.

"I guess you were right." I said. "Your friends are..."

_"Pretty weird..."_


	2. Chapter 2

The school looked rather impressive from the outside. It had a large iron gate serving as the front entrance. And, despite the entirety of the interior being composed of corridors, it managed to look larger and more complex from the outside.

I watched as students poured out from the gate, most of them happy at the prospect of school ending.

I was leaning against one of the pillars that stood at either side of the gate. I was pretty unnoticeable to the naked eye. Although you'd easily spot me if you were actually looking for me. It was a nice spot.

For a first day at a new school, it wasn't so bad. I didn't arrive late to any of the lessons, and I found them pretty easy.

What I found much more interesting, however, were the people that I met today. I could count them all on one hand. Jokingly, I held out my right hand, pointing at my fingers with my left hand whilst reciting the names of those I had met.

"Filia. Cerebella. Carol. Squigly."

I chuckled. These people, who I held conversation with for less than about ten minutes, interested me.

"Cerebella. The jester. She's a hopeless airhead with a temper, nearly knocking me out on three separate occasions."

"Carol. A clearly damaged individual. I've heard her voice twice, and I already don't want to hear it anymore."

"Squigly. The girl without an eye. Overly formal and polite, almost as if she was brought up in a different time period entirely."

"Filia."

I stopped myself. I thought about my description for a few moments.

"An... Ordinary girl?"

Filia's friends had redeeming traits that made them noticeable. But she seemed like a perfectly average girl. She was out of place in her group.

"She's part of the Medici family, but she isn't directly involved with them. Maybe I should as her about it."

"Ask who about what?"

I raised my head. The girl in question stood before me.

"Where did you come from?" I asked.

"I saw you when I walked out of the school." She explained. "You were doing something weird with your hands."

"Never mind that." I responded. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to tell you something."

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

"It's important."

"Oh..." I mumbled. "I'm sorry, Filia. But I'm already in love with another girl." I said nonchalantly. I kept a straight face.

"E-Eh!?" She shouted. "What made you think I was going to tell you _that!?_"

"I can't think of anything else you'd want to tell me." I replied. A smile made its way onto my face. "You're blushing."

"N-No I'm not!" She yelled.

"Of course you aren't." I said, averting my gaze. "So what did you actually want to tell me?"

"W-Well, I was wondering if you had any questions about the rest of the girls." She said, still stuttering.

"I do." I replied. "But it'd take quite a while to answer all of them."

"I have time."

"It's your funeral, I suppose." I joked. "Why is Cerebella a clown?"

"She works at the circus."

"Alright..." I replied. "Wait, what!?"

"Yup."

"You're serious?" I asked.

"She's an acrobat at the local circus."

"Well, I guess that explains most of my questions about her..." I said, rubbing the back of my head. "What about Squigly?"

"She comes from a long line of opera singers." Filia explained. "She's still in-training, but she's pretty impressive already."

"That explains why she's so well-mannered." I said. "But what about her eye?"

"..."

Filia went silent for a few moments. She stared at the ground pensively, a guilty look on her face.

"It..." She began. "It was the result of an attack by the Medici family..."

"...I see..." I replied. "Sorry for bringing that up."

"No, it's alright." She assured. Her reply sounded unconvincing.

"Now..." I said. "What in the name of the Trinity happened to Carol?"

"Carol's a bit of a mystery. Even I don't know much about her past." Filia explained. "All I know is that she was kidnapped by someone."

"Something happened to her..." I analysed. "Those stitches on her face... Something that severe requires an extremely well-trained professional."

"You're saying it had something to do with a doctor?" Filia asked.

"It wasn't just the stitches." I continued. "When I shook her hand... It felt different. There were small, sharp objects beneath her skin. You wouldn't be able to see it by looking."

"I wouldn't know... I've never actually touched Carol before."

"We shouldn't dawdle on this subject." I said. "It's giving me goosebumps."

"You're right..." Filia agreed.

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

"They've all gone home."

"Shouldn't you have all met up to say goodbye to each other?"

"We did."

"Well, it's lovely to know that I was involved in this." I said sarcastically.

"Sorry. We tried looking for you." She apologized.

"Whatever. It doesn't bother me much."

"So..." Filia said. "Where do you live?"

"In a house."

"Where?"

"Somewhere."

"You're not very open when it comes to personal information, are you?"

"It makes our friendship more exciting, doesn't it?" I asked. "I could be a serial killer and you would never know."

"...D-Don't joke about things like that..."

"Sorry. It was too tempting." I said.

I lifted my wrist, staring at the cheap watch attached to it.

"I should get going." I said, walking away from the pillar.

"Alright." Filia replied. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure." I said.

* * *

The bell rang. I watched as students lifted themselves from their chairs, eager to seek out their friends before the next lesson started.

"Where are we headed?" I asked.

Filia turned around quickly, apparently surprised.

"W-Where did you come from?" She stuttered out.

"You didn't see me walking towards you?" I asked. "I thought I was pretty visible, really."

"You're weird." She stated.

"I prefer the term 'unique'." I replied.

She started walking towards the door. I followed suite.

We walked through the corridor. We seemed to be going to the same place we were last time. At least this time, I wasn't being dragged against my will, so I could actually memorize the route this time around.

I nearly bumped into Filia when she stopped walking. We appeared to have reached our destination.

"Great. You brought him with you again." I heard a familiar voice say.

"It's nice to see you too, Cerebella." I remarked happily. "You know, I'm actually feeling a little down. Mind telling me a joke to cheer me up?"

"I'll murder you..." She threatened.

"That wasn't very funny at all." I replied. "You're not very good at your job."

"Why do you have to keep dragging this guy around with you, Filia?" She asked, irritated.

"I'm irresistible to the opposite sex." I said frankly.

Critical hit.

I practically felt the heat emanating from Filia's face.

"Y-You wish..." She said, rather unconvincingly.

"Don't look away from me as you say that..."

"So are you two going out now, or what?" Cerebella asked.

"Yeah." I replied instantly. "Filia confessed to me after school yesterday. She was quite the emotional wreck, actually."

The resulting punch to my face would go on to leave me in pain for the new few minutes.

"Anyway..." I said, rubbing my cheek. "How are you today, Squigly?"

The girl in question seemed surprised that I had so suddenly thrust her into the conversation.

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking." She replied.

"I see. And..." I stopped. "...H-How are you, Carol?"

She raised her head, apparently daydreaming. She simply stared at me for a few moments. Her expression hadn't changed since I first met her.

"...Fine..." She responded.

"G-Good to know..." I muttered. Throughout my life, I had never encountered someone as intimidating as her. Every time I held a conversation with her, it felt as if I was going to get pounced on any moment.

The group went silent. We simply stood in silence as a seemingly endless stream of students walked by us. No-one made any attempt to communicate nor encouraged others to communicate.

"You know, this isn't very 'fun', so to speak." I spoke up.

"This is what we usually do." Filia replied.

"Quite frankly, 'what you do' is pretty boring." I complained.

"Then enlighten us. What would you do in this situation?" She challenged.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Dunno. High school-type stuff. You're all just standing there and looking depressed."

"Is there a problem with that?" She asked.

"Yes. A rather large one, at that." I said. "If you don't talk, then I can't crack witty one-liners that make me seem like an interesting main character."

Everyone around me shot a confused look. They probably thought I was insane.

Before someone could comment on my sentence, the bell rang. Everyone simply shrugged and uttered a quick goodbye before going towards their respective classrooms.

"How boring." I said, crossing my arms. "I take what I said earlier back. Your friends aren't interesting at all."

"You're a weirdo." Filia explained. "They're probably worn out just from talking to you."

"Hogwash." I stated. "They can't get enough of me."

"I'm sure they can't..." She muttered sarcastically. "Should we go back to the classroom?"

"That depends. are you giving me the option to skip class?" I asked.

"No." She answered. "Let's go."

"This is my life, I can do whatever the hell I want with it." I stated stubbornly.

"I don't think you're responsible enough to do what you want."

"Very funny." I said. "I'm probably much more intelligent that you are."

"Yeah, yeah." She mocked. "We're going to be late. Come on."

"Alright. Fair enough." I gave in. "You don't need to be so pushy, you kno-"

It took me a few seconds to realize that I was far behind Filia. In fact, I had stopped walking entirely. My eyes widened in realization as I saw Filia walking towards me.

"Hey. We need to get going. Stop fooling around."

"I..."

I could barely get a word out. In the next few seconds, my vision started to blur. I felt incredibly lightheaded. Dizzy, even.

"Hey. Are you alright?"

Filia's voice echoed painfully through my head. I could barely make her out anymore. My legs felt heavy. I barely even noticed it when I hit the floor. No pain, no sound. Almost on instinct, I started to close my eyes. I heard the muffled shouts of Filia as I slowly drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

My eyes shot open. My vision was blurry at first, but started to clear up after a few seconds. Realizing my situation, I lifted myself up from the ground. I was no longer on the hallway that I had passed out on. Rather, I was laying on a rather comfortable surface.

I could only assume that Filia brought me to the medical room. It wasn't necessary, really. I would've gotten up anyway.

I let out a long yawn.

"Good sleep." I muttered.

"You're awake!"

I didn't have enough time to react. I felt a force collide with my chest.

"I thought you had died! I was so worried!"

This voice...

"Is that you, Filia?" I asked.

I saw the familiar face poke up from my chest. For whatever reason, she had her hands around my waist. It seemed like an overreaction from someone I had just barely met.

"Now Filia, exercise restraint. I know I'm irresistible, but I'd rather we did this somewhere private." I joked.

She jumped off instantly.

"W-What did you think I was trying to do there, you creep!?"

"Nothing. You were simply happy that I wasn't dead." I stated innocently. "What kind of perverted thoughts are running around in your head, Filia?"

Her already-noticeable blush deepened. She crossed her arms, apparently frustrated with my antics. I lifted myself from the bed.

"Hey..." Filia said. "Shouldn't you be resting right now? You fell unconscious, you know."

"Believe me, I've gotten more than enough rest already." I stated.

"...So what happened to you?" She asked.

I chuckled to myself. I made my way over to the closed window, opening it to allow some fresh air inside.

"It's nothing to worry about." I explained.

"This happens sometimes."


	3. Chapter 3

Narcolepsy.

A chronic sleeping disorder I've had since the day I was born.

On rare occasion, I'll have an attack. No matter where I'm standing, or what situation I'm in, I'll simply drop.

I go into a near-comatose state, where it's incredibly difficult for others to wake me up. I tend to regain consciousness a few hours later.

My vision will go hazy, and before I know it, I'll be somewhere completely different, usually with someone taking the courtesy to put me into a bed.

Narcolepsy can occur randomly, but I'm more prone to attacks when I've recently had a severe emotional reaction to something, like someone sneaking up behind me and scaring me.

To those who aren't aware of my condition, it's like seeing someone drop dead.

It's not particularly annoying. I've never been in any serious accidents due to it, and I'm only out for a few hours at a time.

I explained this to Filia, who listened with piqued interest.

"But honestly, what I'm more surprised by is the fact that you waited for me to wake up." I said.

"I-I didn't know!" She yelled. "I thought something serious happened to you..."

I chuckled.

"Next time that happens, just inform everyone of the situation." I explained. "They'll understand, I'm sure."

I yawned. Contrary to popular belief, narcolepsy isn't affected by how tired you are. You could sleep for twenty-three hours a day and still have routine attacks.

I turned my head to the clock at the far end of the room. School hours were already long gone. It genuinely surprised me that Filia bothered to stick around.

"We should get home before it gets too late." I said.

"You made that sound like we live in the same house..." She replied.

"Is that an invitation?" I asked.

"N-No way! I'd never let my family meet a weirdo like you."

"How boring. I'd quite like to see the Medici family face-to-face, myself."

Filia took a few seconds to reply.

"...Speaking of which, where do you actually live?" She asked.

"In a house, surprisingly." I responded sarcastically.

"...Who with?"

"I find that the company of myself is companionship enough."

"You've said that before." She pointed out. "...You live alone?"

"No." I replied. "I have a pet dust particle called Ted."

She rolled her eyes, unfazed by my feeble attempt at humor.

"Must be lonely..." She said.

"That's why you're here." I replied. "Next time you question our friendship, remember that you and your little group are the only obstacle between me and complete insanity."

"That's kind of morbid, really..." She said. "We're your friends, but we don't even know your name."

"Hoh. Changing the subject, are we?"

"It just bugs me." She explained. "I don't know if anyone else realizes it, but whenever someone asks for your name, you seem to dodge the question."

"Well observed." I replied, clapping my hands. "Call me whatever you like. I don't mind."

"No, it's not that we don't have anything to address you by, it's just that we don't know your real nam-"

"Names don't really matter. It's what's inside that counts, right?" I joked, gesturing to my chest.

Filia's expression fell.

"You're a weirdo." She stated.

"I'm unique"

"Whatever."

I laughed.

"You're an interesting girl, Filia." I said.

"W-What!? W-Why did you..." She stuttered out. A few moments of silence passed. Filia twiddled her fingers. "...In what way?" She asked.

"Many ways, actually." I said. I raised my fingers as I pointed her traits out. "You're talkative, funny, helpful-"

"Alright, alright! That's enough!" She yelled out. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment. I was having too much fun to pass up an opportunity like this. I dashed forward, completely taking her by surprise. Before she could react, I placed my mouth as close to her ear as possible.

"Good-looking..."

I felt a collision to the side of my face almost instantly. I landed on the floor with a thud. I was in too much hysterical laughter to care about the pain. Filia's face had deepened in color tenfold. If anything, it was worth the slap mark on my cheek.

"Y-You idiot!" She yelled. "Don't go around saying stuff like that!"

I lifted myself from the floor, still recovering from my giggling fit.

"Heheheh..." I chuckled. "It was too tempting. I couldn't resist."

"I-I'll kill you!" She yelled in frustration.

I ducked to avoid another blow. I spent the next five minutes calming Filia down while trying to avoid being incapacitated in the process.

"Hey now! Is this how you treat someone who's just recovered from a sleep attack?" I asked.

I wasn't expecting that to work. Filia slowed her assault almost immediately, saving me from a particularly close blow to the abdomen.

"I almost forgot about that..." She said. "Sorry. I wasn't thinking straight."

"Don't apologize." I replied. "It's been a while since I've laughed that hard."

Time had passed quickly. The sun was setting outside.

"We should go." I advised. "Best get home before night falls."

"I didn't even notice it was this late..." Filia said, moving over to the window.

"Time flies when you're having fun." I remarked.

She smirked.

"You're such a weirdo."

"One." I replied, raising a finger.

"One what?" She asked.

"I said I'd keep track of how many times you told me that, didn't I?"

She punched my shoulder lightly. I laughed.

The last remnants of the sun's rays disappeared over the horizon. It was nearly pitch-black in the room.

"Shall I walk you home?" I offered.

"E-Eh!?" She responded. "W-Why would you want to do that?"

"You never know what kind of dangers could lurk around the corner, my dear Filia." I said with a smile. She folded her arms.

"And you're supposed to protect me?"

"I'm more capable than I look." I said confidently. "And I want to know where you live."

"That sounds really creepy when you say it like that..." She replied.

"I'm just curious whether you live in an ordinary home or not." I explained. "You could live in a five-star hotel for all I know."

"And what if I did?" She asked.

"I'd be jealous."

"Whatever."

She made her way to the door.

"...So that's a yes?" I asked.

"What would you do if I said no?"

"I'd still follow you."

She sighed, opening the door without saying anything. I followed with a stupid grin on my face.

As one would expect, it was pretty dark in the school hallways. Unfortunately, there wasn't simply a light switch you could flick to illuminate the place, leaving us in the darkness.

"Spooky, huh?" I pointed out. Filia looked at me and frowned.

"Not really." She replied. "It's not that dark in here."

"How boring..." I replied.

"You're pretty impatient, you know that?"

"Hm? Where'd you get that from?" I asked with a smile.

"You seem like the type of person that would go insane just from having to wait."

I chuckled.

"Good analysis." I praised. "Are you giving me an excuse to point out something obvious about your personality?"

"I doubt you'd fine anything." She responded.

"You're very secretive." I said. Filia shot me an odd look.

"What makes you say that?" She asked.

"I know nothing about you." I explained. "I know more about the other girls than I know about you."

"And?" She replied. "How does that make me secretive?"

"Believe me." I said. "I can tell."

The next few minutes were spent in silence. Naught but the sounds of our footsteps echoed through the empty hallways. As we approached the entrance, it had become quite apparent that it was raining outside. The pitter-patter of raindrops against the roof eventually drowned out the sounds of our footsteps. It had been rather hot in the past few weeks, so it only made sense that the cycle of precipitation would eventually lead to a downpour one day. The rain was clearly visible from the double doors that led into the school. The sound alone was proof enough that walking around in this weather would be troublesome.

"You didn't happen to bring an umbrella, did you?" I joked.

"Nope." She replied. "And even if I did, I wouldn't share it with you."

"I thought we were friends..." I remarked sarcastically. "Why must you be so cruel, Filia?"

"Looks like we'll just have to walk through it." She concluded.

"Fair enough." I replied.

I walked forward, grabbing the door handles and swinging them open in a dramatic fashion. I felt the harsh wind on my face almost instantly. Within seconds, my clothes were completely soaked through. I stood in the rain for a few more seconds, arms still stretched out. Eventually, I turned back to Filia with a smile.

"Coming?" I asked.

"Y-You're crazy..." She replied.

"Maybe so." I replied. "But we're not going to accomplish anything just by talking, are we?"

Filia stared at me with an open mouth. I wasn't sure if she was dumbfounded by my bravery or questioning my intelligence. Either way, I didn't give her the chance to react when I took a few steps back and grabbed her hand, forcefully dragging her into the rain. I heard a small yelp from her as I dragged her outside.

"L-Let go of me!" She shouted, attempting to break free.

"No point in going back now." I said. She managed to wriggle free as I took a few steps further.

"I'll get you for this..." She threatened.

"I'm looking forward to it." I replied happily.

Reluctantly, Filia started to follow me through the downpour. If it weren't for the street lights, we would be trudging through complete darkness. Filia timidly shielded her head with her arms while I happily strode through puddles, my hair constantly dripping cold water onto my nose.

"Not a fan of the rain, are you?" I asked. My voice was akin to a whisper compared to the howling wind.

"And you are, I suppose?" She shouted back.

"I enjoy the rain." I confessed happily. "Calms me down."

"You don't seem very 'calm' right now."

"Irrelevant." I disregarded.

Our little walk through the rain continued in silence for the next fifteen minutes. Filia ducked under every form of cover  
she could find while I nonchalanty marched through the rain with the will of a soldier.

I eventually came to a halt.

"Wait..." I said to myself. "Where do you live, anyway?"

"Around here." She replied. "I thought you didn't know where I live?"

"I don't." I answered. "I've been heading in the direction of my house this whole time."

We exchanged confused glances.

"You must live pretty close to me." I concluded.

"This is the part where we realize that we were next door neighbours the whole time." Filia said.

Turns out that wasn't the case. At a forked path, it was realized that we lived on seperate streets. We just had a similar  
way of reaching our homes. I bid Filia farewell as we went our seperate ways.

"I'm still going to get you back for pulling me into the rain." She had said before walking off. I found myself watching  
her until she escaped from my line of sight.

I laughed to myself. My second day of school and I was already walking home with a girl. The thought amused me.

The rain continued its assault as I made my way home. The relentless pelting of water against the roof persisted  
throughout the night.

Then again, rain wasn't a huge problem for me. If anything, I found the weather to be quite relaxing, contrary to what  
most people would say.

Sure, my hair was soaked and my clothes would remain damp until the end of time, but the words 'It was worth it' kept  
repeating in my head. My antics with Filia had left a lasting impression on me, despite only having known her for two  
days. In the short time I had been a student, I already had someone who I could call a friend.

And who knows? Maybe our friendship would evolve into something more meaningful over the next few weeks.

...

"Heh... Hahahahaha..."

I uttered a dry laugh at my own joke.


	4. Chapter 4

Today started off marvelously. The rain had stopped, the birds were chirping, and hot sun beamed down once more.

I was also late for school.

It wasn't my fault, really. It was the alarm clock's duty to wake me up. If he shirks that responsibily, then who gets the  
blame? Me.

I was reprimended for being late. I was also questioned as to why my clothes were unusually damp.

Not a good morning, so to speak.

Our first lesson flew by. Probably due to the fact that I slept through most of it. The bell was far more effective at  
waking me up than my alarm clock was. I made a mental note to see if I could procure one from the principal.

I went back to sleep, intending on spending the majority of first break doing so. Unfortunately, my schedule was  
interrupted by a tap on my shoulder just as I was beginning to doze off.

"Huh? Whuzzat?" I mumbled, turning my head to face the offender.

"Tired, huh?"

It was Filia.

"Not really." I replied, slumping back in my chair. "Just had a rough morning."

"Is that really any reason to be sleeping during class?" She asked.

"If you make an act of delinquency in the morning, then you'll keep doing them for the rest of the day." I explained.

"So you've decided to be a delinquent today?"

"Precisely." I responded, promptly landing face-first onto my desk.

"Come on." Filia said, tugging my arm. "No point in lazing around."

"I can't be bothered."

"I don't care." She replied, forcefully pulling me out of my chair. "You're coming with me."

"Geez. You're so pushy..." I mumbled, offering no resistance to Filia's invasion of my privacy.

Akin to my first day as a student, I was paraded through the hallways of the school by Filia.

We came to an abtrupt stop. Filia let go of my hand, now apparently convinced that I was going to make no further attempts  
at escape.

"Sorry I'm late." Filia apologized. "I had a little trouble." She continued, gesturing to me.

"You brought him along again..." I heard a familiar hoarse voice say.

"Believe me, I'm just as upset with me being here as you are, jester."

I didn't even have the energy to dodge Cerebella's punch. A bruise was going to form on my face in the coming hours.

Squigly was eyeing me worriedly. She spoke up after Cerebella delivered her beating.

"I heard about what happened to you yesterday." She said. "Are you alright?"

"Hm? Oh, that." I replied groggily. "Just a little sleep attack. Nothing to worry about."

"Sleep attack?" Cerebella inquired.

"I have narcolepsy." I explained. "If I collapse for no apparent reason, please move me to a more comfortable location."

"Right..." She said. "Probably shouldn't have punched you. Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it." I replied. "It'll heal."

"Is there something wrong with him?" She asked Filia.

"He had a bad morning."

"Damn alarm clock..." I cursed under my breath.

Our conversation continued like this for the remainder of first break. Eventually, the bell rang and we all began to shuffle towards our respective classrooms among the sea of students piling into the hallway.

"Did you do that homework we were given?" Filia asked.

"Unfortunately not." I replied. "I was far too busy last night."

"Doing what, exactly?" She inquired.

"Super secret spy stuff." I said. "Unfortunately, now that I've told you, I'm going to have to kill you."

I pulled back my ring finger and my pinky, pointing at Filia.

"Pew pew!" I said in an incredibly high voice.

"I'm embarrassed to have you as a friend." She said, her expression bored. "I'm pretty sure your 'super secret spy organization' is embarrassed as well."

"We are everywhere and underwear." I recited. "No, wait..."

That seemed to be it for Filia. She let out a snicker. It wasn't much, but it told me that she was at least amused by my antics.

"You really should've done that homework, you know." She said afterwards. "You're already on bad terms with the teacher because you came in late."

"Don't worry about it, my dear Filia." I assured. "Sit back and watch. I'll dodge this detention like a pro."

* * *

"I can't believe you used the same excuse."

"Shut up." I pouted. "I dodged the detention, didn't I?"

"You had to beg..."

"Completely irrelevant." I dismissed.

To say the least, my elaborate response had crumbled before the teacher's iron will. I left the classroom with nothing to show for my efforts, apart from the ridiculing laughs of my fellow classmates.

We started to walk to our regular meeting place.

"Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen you eat anything." Filia pointed out.

"I'm not surprised." I replied. "I don't bring any food to school."

"Don't you get hungry?" She asked.

"I have a large breakfast." I explained.

She shot me a disbelieving look.

"What? It's true, you know." I said.

My stomach grumbled.

"Heh..." I laughed, scratching the back of my head.

Filia shoved something into my chest. I looked down, spotting a small metal case.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Food." She answered. "You need to eat."

I stared at the small box for a few seconds. I didn't have enough time to eat this morning due to me being late. I never usually eat lunch either.

"This is yours?" I inquired.

"Don't worry about me." She replied. "I had breakfast, at least."

"How considerate of you." I thanked. "But I don't need it."

I returned the box to Filia's possession. She looked slightly irritated.

"You know, there's no reason for you to act all tough." She said. "Everyone needs to eat."

"Perhaps." I replied. "But not everyone needs the same amount."

Without warning, Filia thrust the box back into my hands.

"I don't care." She stated. "Eat."

I grumbled.

Slowly, I opened the lid of the case, half-expecting something to jump out and attack me. I was met with a pleasant aroma a few seconds after I lifted the case. The small box contained a somewhat healthy mix of foods suitable for an average lunch. It looked homemade.

"You cook?" I asked, still staring into the box.

"I live alone." She replied. "I had to learn at some point."

"How cute." I remarked, my eyes still on the food.

It didn't take us long to arrive at our little group of friends. Our time had been cut in half thanks to my situation with the teacher beforehand.

"You brought him again..." I heard Cerebella say.

"I think you should get used to it, personally." I replied. "I'll be doing this for a while."

She simply shrugged.

"What's that?" She asked, pointing at the small box in my hands.

"Lunch." I replied.

"Huh..." She mumbled. "I don't think I've ever seen you eat before."

I removed the lid from the case.

"Wow..." She said, leaning over to look inside. "You made this?"

"Nope." I answered. "Filia did."

She looked dumbfounded for a few seconds, before turning to face Filia.

"You made lunch for this loser?" She asked. "Are you trying to get on his good side or something?"

She shook her head. "He told me that he didn't have any breakfast."

"So you just decided that you'd hand him your food?" Cerebella asked, crossing her arms.

"I felt sorry for him." Filia replied.

"You're so in love with him." She stated nonchalantly.

"E-Eh!?" She blurted out.

"I knew you'd come to your senses sooner or later, Filia." I said with a smile. "Now we can be together forever, just like you've always wanted."

"A-As if!" She yelled, lightly pushing me away.

"Great." I said. "Now I'm heartbroken. I hope you're proud of yourself."

"He's right, Filia." Cerebella added. "You really need to consider the feelings of others before you open your mouth."

"W-What..." Filia mumbled, her expression one of complete obliviousness.

We seemed to have confused her. Cerebella had gone from despising me to joining my side in an argument against someone she was supposed to be close friends with. Me and Cerebella flashed joyous smiles and high-fived each other while Filia was still stuck in a state of utter confusion.

After the madness subsided, I began to eat my lunch. I was genuinely surprised at Filia cooking skill, and found myself enjoying the food more than I actually should have. I made a mental note to purposefully avoid breakfast every once in a while.

The bell rang shortly afterwards. I said my goodbyes before returning to Filia's side.

"You're a good cook, you know that?" I praised.

"R-Really?" She replied, lowering her head. "Thanks, I guess..."

"Not a problem." I dismissed. "Just bear in mind, it's not my fault if I 'accidentally' forget to have breakfast sometimes."

"You know, I wouldn't mind making something for you every day..."

"I'm afraid that's not plausible." I said. "I cannot ask such a beautiful young lady to waste her time on a lowlife such as myself."

"B-Beautiful?" She mumbled, desperately attempting to hide a blush.

I chuckled.

"You always get so embarrassed whenever I compliment you." I pointed out. "It's so cute..."

Filia pushed me playfully. She hung her head low, probably to avoid me noticing that she was actually enjoying our conversation.

We arrived at the classroom, returning to our seats just in time for our third lesson. I spent most of it staring out the window next to my desk, daydreaming. The bell rang before I even noticed any time had passed. It also struck me that I had accomplished nothing the whole lesson. I made a mental note to actually do something productive next time.

The end of the school day was generally when everyone was at their happiest. The grueling tyranny of the teachers had ended, and everyone was free to go home and indulge in the finer aspects of life. It was also the time of day when everyone was the loudest.

I'd never been a fan of loud noises. Loud music in particular was something I simply couldn't stand. Drag me to a nightclub or a concert of some sort, and you'd see me covering my ears for the majority of the time I spent there.

The end of the school day was certainly not my favorite time of the day. I despised walking through crowds of shouting students, eager to leave the school and go home. Despite the short amount of time I had spent in the school, I had already compiled a mental list of people in my class who were the loudest. I made it my duty to actively avoid these people at all cost, lest my sanity disappears and I do something reckless.

"Hey." I heard a voice greet. "You alright?"

It had come to my attention that I was clenching my fists rather tightly. My expression was sour, and my posture indicated that I wasn't to be approached. I turned my head, relaxing my hands as I responded.

"I'm sorry." I apologized. "I was just rambling to myself."

Filia gave me a strange look.

"You're so weird." She said.

"How about you?" I asked. "Can you tolerate loud noises?"

"Hm?" She questioned. "Where did this come from?"

"Nowhere in particular." I replied. "So? Can you?"

"Loud noises?" She asked. "Well, it depends how loud we're talking about."

"A lot of people talking at once." I explained. "Like what's happening around us."

Our classroom was filled with people shouting and talking.

"Why would I be bothered by this?" She asked. "It seems pretty normal to me."

"I don't know..." I replied. "It just irritates me."

"Maybe you have sensitive hearing or something." She said.

"Possibly..." I replied. "Let's go."

I brought myself to my feet.

"We're walking home together again, right?" I asked.

"H-Huh?" She stammered. "I-I thought we were just doing that because no-one else was around..."

"Nah." I said. "It was fun. So we're doing it again."

"But what if people get the wrong idea about us?" She asked.

"Are you saying that you'd be unhappy with those kinds of misunderstandings?" I asked, bearing a smile.

"W-What?" She faltered. "Well, you know. I-I don't really care about that sort of thing, but it'd just be weird if we started-"

"You're rambling, Filia." I pointed out. "Hurry up. I want to get home."

Confused, Filia simply walked behind me with a blush on her face. I made my way to the entrance of the school, turning my head every few seconds to make sure she hadn't run off.

"At least it isn't raining this time, right?"

"I thought you liked the rain?"

"Perhaps so." I replied. "But I'm certain you weren't exactly having the time of your life yesterday."

Filia didn't respond. Her head was cocked to the side, focusing on something else.

"Squigly is over there." She said.

My curiosity piqued, I turned my head. Sure enough, the well-mannered opera singer colloquially known as 'Squigly' was standing by herself. She hadn't noticed us yet.

"Let's go say hello." I said, turning myself around.

Receiving a nod in response, we made our way towards Squigly.

"Hey!" I shouted. "Squigly!"

The young lady in question raised her head having heard me. When she noticed us, she shone a small smile and waved to us.

"Good evening." She said, her polite demeanor never ending.

"Likewise." I replied. "Waiting for someone?"

"No." She responded. "I'm simply killing time."

"Fascinating."

"What are you two up to?" She asked.

"We're walking home together." I answered. "We live in the same house, you see. We bought one after we got married."

"When did this happen!?" Filia shouted, her face turning red.

Squigly let out a short giggle.

"I'm glad you find this amusing." I said.

"Oh no. It's not that." She replied. "The fact that you two have become such close friends already amazes me."

"Yeah, well, she is my girlfrie- Urgh!"

I felt a sharp blow to the side of my head before I could finish my sentence. I lay on the floor, curled up in a ball of cowardice, gingerly covering the top of my head with my arms.

"She's very abusive." I explained. "Please call the police. And an ambulance, too."

"Idiot." Filia insulted, grabbing my arm and dragging me away. "Come on, let's go."

"But I haven't said goodbye yet!" I complained. "Goodbye, Squigly! May your journey home be a safe one!"

"Stop drawing attention." Filia ordered.

"I apologize, mother." I joked. "I won't do it again."

"You're such an idiot."

* * *

"-And then he had the audacity to drink the tea afterwards!" I yelled, my voice echoing down the street. "Lords, people these days."

"Hm?" Filia mumbled.

"You weren't even listening to me..." I sulked.

"Sorry. I was thinking about stuff." She replied.

"Oh? Do tell, Filia."

"It wasn't anything interesting."

"I'll make it interesting!"

"You know, you're not supposed to pry into people's thoughts."

"Are you thinking about us, Filia?" I suggested.

"What's there to think about?"

"Our relationship, obviously!" I shouted. "Personally, I think you're trying to advance too quickly, especially after you tried to make a move on me in the medical roo-"

I heard a familiar swooshing of air behind me. I shifted my weight, throwing back my hand to catch Filia's punch.

"H-Huh?" She stammered.

"Bet you thought I wouldn't see that one coming." I said, wagging the finger on my free hand. "I'm more competent than I look."

"Apparently so." She replied.

"We have physical education tomorrow, correct?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." She replied. "Do you like it?"

"It's not that." I answered. "I just enjoy a little bit of competitive spirit every once in a while, is all."

"Girls and boys from multiple classes are usually grouped together for it, so there's a good chance we'll see the others as well."

"Even better!" I exclaimed. "Depending on what we're doing, I might get a chance to concuss the Jester!"

"Cerebella gets pretty serious when it comes to sports." Filia said. "Be careful."

"Don't worry..." I replied. "So do I."


	5. Chapter 5

"Dodgeball."

"Yes!" I shouted. "She's going down!"

"Don't get too excited..." Filia said.

"Couldn't have asked for a better sport." I replied. "I can't wait to see the look on the Jester's face when I knock her down!"

"We'll get started in a minute." The instructor said. "I just have to take a register first."

"...Eh?" I mumbled. "Register? What for?"

"If there are people missing, then the teams could be unbalanced." Filia explained.

"That makes sense, I guess." I replied. "Does he just look around for us, or...?"

"No, he calls out your name." Filia explained. "Wait a minute. That means he has to call out your name, doesn't he?"

"Apparently so." I replied.

"Looks like I'll finally know your name." She said with a smile.

"Be quiet." I said. "He's starting."

The instructor began listing the names of everyone participating in the lesson, including Filia and the rest of the girls. I crossed my arms, listening closely for a particular name to come up. It wasn't until the end of the list that I had to speak up.

"C-"

"I'm here." I said, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. The instructor looked at me strangely for a few seconds before nodding his head, scribbling something down on the clipboard he carried.

"Not today." I said with a smile.

"That's fine." Filia replied. "At least I know the first letter of your name."

"Not that it makes much of a difference." I said.

"You know, I could just ask to see the register and I'd know your full name."

"You could. But you wouldn't, right?" I said. "That'd spoil the fun, after all."

Filia smirked and crossed her arms.

"Fair enough." She said. "I'll play your game. But rest assured, I will find out your full name at some point."

"By all means, try your best." I replied.

"Alright everyone!" The instructor shouted. "I want the class divided into two teams!"

"All of the girls are here, right?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'll probably go on whatever team they're going on."

"That means that the Jester will also be on that team."

"You'll be on the opposite team?" Filia asked.

"Yeah." I replied, a smile making its way onto my face. "Don't worry. I'll go easy on you."

"I don't think I've ever seen you so competitive before."

"One of the things you have to know about me is that I'm incredibly childish and I hate losing." I explained. "So I don't intend to lose."

"Fair enough." Filia replied. "I'm going to go find the others."

The next three minutes largely consisted of everyone teaming up with their friends, before teaming up with other groups of friends. Filia and the rest of the girls, including Cerebella, were all on the opposite team. I didn't know a single person on my team.

The game was set up like an ordinary dodgeball game. A grand total of seven balls were placed in the middle of the sports hall. Once the game started, people were supposed to run to the balls and take as many as they could for their team. The starting position of the balls also marked the line which you couldn't cross for the entirety of the game. If you get hit anywhere but your head, you're out of the game. If someone catches a ball without it touching the ground, they can allow a person of their choice back into the game.

Pretty simple rules. Although ultimately, the game was largely dependent on the throwing and dodging skill of the people involved. It's an incredibly competitive game. Each team had to start with at least one part of their body touching the wall on their side of the hall. When the game started, you were free to move anywhere so long as you didn't cross the line.

I moved to my team's side of the hall, placing my palm on the wall. I spotted Cerebella and the other girls. They were staring at me, apparently confused as to why I was on the other team.

"We go on the whistle." The instructor stated. He lifted the small whistle that was dangling from his neck. The next few seconds built tension between the two teams.

Eventually, the whistle was blown. I watched calmly as around half of my team jumped from their starting positions, eager to begin. A few people were knocked out instantly, a look of surprise on their faces when the ball made contact with their torsos. Instead of moving from my position, I simply crossed my arms and leaned my back against the wall. I made sure to stay behind the bulk of people on my team.

I heard curses as casualties increased. Within the first minute of the game, almost half of the contenders had already left the playing field. I watched carefully as the girls played. Cerebella was quick. She threw the balls with such ferocity that I even saw a few people writhe on the ground for a few seconds before crawling away from the fray.

Our team was losing. No-one was strong enough to land solid hits or fast enough to catch the balls being thrown at them. We were dropping like flies, for lack of a better metaphor.

Three minutes in. Cerebella was now the only person on their team who was capable of landing any hits. Her accuracy was startling, to say the least. Before they knew what they were doing, my team members were knocked out. If we weren't playing with nonlethal projectiles, the force of Cerebella's throws could easily take off someone's head.

Four minutes in. Surprisingly, the rest of the girls were still standing. More accurately, they were the only ones still standing. I watched as the last member of my team dropped to the floor, a direct hit to his abdomen sending him spiraling to the ground.

"Oh dear." I said. "It appears I'm the only one still standing."

"You haven't even done anything." Cerebella said, having heard me. "You've just been standing there for the entire game."

"I was observing." I explained. "Seems as if that isn't an option anymore."

I uncrossed my arms, moving away from the wall. Cerebella picked up a ball and quickly moved forward, hurling the projectile straight towards me. I stepped to the right, the ball flying straight past my face and crashing into the wall behind me. I heard gasps from my onlooking teammates, now reduced to simply watching the last member of their team survive.

"That was a sloppy throw." I criticized. "Surely you can do better than that."

I heard Cerebella grunt irritably. She picked up another ball, this time taking the time to watch me before throwing. Once again, I stepped to the right, cringing at the sound of the ball bouncing off the wall behind me.

"Right." I said, bending over to grab a ball rolling towards me. "My turn."

I put the dodgeball into one hand, rearing myself back for the throw. In a similar fashion to Cerebella, I threw my body forward, simultaneously releasing my grip from the dodgeball. Cerebella's eyes widened as she shifted her weight to the left, barely dodging a hit to her side. The group of girls recoiled as the ball bore into the wall behind it, ricocheting back to my side of the hall.

"Huh..." Cerebella mumbled. "That was pretty close."

"I'm a tad stronger than I look." I replied. My build wasn't muscly or large by any means. And, if anything, my size conveyed the fact that I was rather weak. I saw Cerebella pick up another dodgeball. Her shot was more concentrated this time around. There was no clear way of telling which way she was going to throw the ball, leaving me with a mere fifty-fifty chance at dodging the correct way. Thankfully, I guessed right. The ball soared into the wall a few feet to my right.

"We'll leave this to you two." Filia said. She and the other girls made their way from the firing zone, leaving only me and Cerebella to duke it out.

"This could take a while." I said. "But I'm sure one of us will run out of stamina at one point."

There wasn't a second match to the dodgeball game. Our little feud continued on for the remainder of the lesson. We took turns taking pot- shots at each other. We both had our fair share of close calls.

The last few minutes of the lesson were closing in. We were both at out wit's end. Me and Cerebella were both panting heavily, our seemingly endless stamina finally beginning to deteriorate.

"We're running out of time." I said, my voice veiled by my heavy breathing. Sluggishly, I reached for another dodgeball. "I'll try and end it here."

"So will I." Cerebella said, copying my movements.

I readied myself for a final throw. I reached back with what remained of my strength, taking the time to aim my shot.

My concentration didn't last for long. As I was about to throw, I felt a familiar feeling rising up. My vision began to blur. A few minutes ago, my legs were shaking from exhaustion. It now felt like weights were dragging them down.

"N-Not now..." I muttered to myself. "You couldn't have picked a worse time..."

I steadied myself, having to discontinue my throwing stance to keep me from falling face-first to the floor. Cerebella must have taken my falter as I sign of my exhaustion. Through the ringing in my ears, I heard the sound of something tearing through the air towards me. A few seconds later, I felt a collision against my face. I grunted in pain as a sickening thud ran through my head. Without even noticing it, I was lying face-up on the ground within seconds. By the time I had closed my eyes, I heard an ensemble of voices ring through the hall.

* * *

My eyes opened slowly. I recognized where I was almost instantly. The white walls, the smell of medicine and the distinctly comfortable bed brought me to the realization that I had, rather unfortunately, suffered from another one of my attacks.

"Two times in a week." I mumbled to myself. "I should stop pushing myself."

"You're awake."

I recognized that voice.

"You waited for me again?" I joked. "You must really be obsessed with me."

"S-Shut up..." Filia replied. "It's hard to leave someone who's just fallen unconscious."

"I wasn't unconscious, really." I explained. "My body just decided that, at that particular point, I needed a well-deserved rest."

"Is it difficult?"

"Hm? Is what difficult?" I replied.

"Living with it." She replied. "Narcolepsy, I mean."

"Meh." I deadpanned. "It doesn't usually happen this frequently. Maybe once a month or so."

"What's the worse time for it to happen to you?"

"When I'm outside." I replied. "I have to position myself correctly so that when it happens, I don't fall face-first onto the ground and shatter my teeth."

"So you can feel it happening?"

"Yeah." I replied. "I get all dizzy and stuff."

"Is it annoying?"

"What is this, twenty questions?" I asked. "Tell me what happened after I dropped."

"Everyone was pretty worried at first." Filia said. "I had to explain your condition to them."

"Right." I replied. "At least I didn't hurt myself when I fell."

"You haven't noticed them?" She asked.

"Noticed what?"

"The bandages." She answered. "Around your head."

Shooting a look of confusion, I raised my hands to feel around my head. Sure enough, layers of bandages were wrapped around my temples.

"It wasn't your fault." Filia said. "Cerebella did that when she hit you."

"Ah..." I sighed. "What a shame."

"Yeah..."

"What time is it?" I asked.

"It's 4:30." She answered. "School ended a while ago."

"I was out for that long, huh?" I said. "And yet you still waited for me."

"I-Isn't it natural to worry about your friends when they get injured?"

"I guess so." I replied. "But I don't need any of that mushy nonsense. I'm made of tougher stuff, you see."

"I guess you're right." Filia said. "You kind of surprised me back there."

"Eh? I said I was tougher than I looked, didn't I?"

"Yeah. But I wasn't expecting you to be so..."

"Elegant? Incredible?"

"Monstrous." She settled, ignoring my suggestions. "I can understand why Cerebella has all that natural strength, but you're all skinny and frail-looking. You don't look like the type of person who could do much physically."

"Heh. I'm full of surprises, aren't I?" I joked. "I would've won, too. Stupid narcolepsy."

I moved to the edge of the bed, lowering myself to the floor. I had an understandable bout of Déjà vu.

"You should still be resting." Filia said.

"I'll do that when I get home." I replied.

"You don't seem very worried about that injury..."

"It's nothing." I replied. "Can't even feel anything."

"You're just going to walk home like that?"

"Exactly." I replied. "You're going to come with me, right?"

"W-What makes you think that I want to walk home with you?"

"Nothing, really. You know, apart from the fact that you did it yesterday, and the day before that..."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Clearly, Filia, you're suffering from what we in the trade like to call 'Love sickness'."

"E-Excuse me!?" She yelled. "How did you come to that conclusion!?"

"Well, you're obviously in love with me." I stated nonchalantly.

"S-Shut up!" She retaliated. "There no way I'd fall for someone like you!"

I gripped onto my chest.

"You wound me, Filia." I stated. "Just as I was about to say the feeling was mutual, as well..."

Filia froze for a moment. She shot me a shocked look, as if my head had just fallen off my shoulders.

"Y-You..." She stuttered. "...Really?"

"A little curious now, aren't we?"

"S-Shut up." She demanded. "You know, you aren't supposed to mess with someone's feeling like that."

"It's all in good fun." I replied. "An ongoing joke, so to speak."

"Yeah..." She said. "...A joke."

The room went silent, the clock on the wall ticking away wistfully. It gave me a few minutes to think. A necessary moment of silence to contemplate the greater questions in life, like how this plane of existence came to be, or why the toast always landed butter-side down.

"Shall we go?" I asked, making my way to the door.

"I never agreed to walk home with you..."

"Really? I assumed it was one of those 'goes without saying' situations." I replied. "No time to waste. I have a sudden craving for toast."

Filia giggled. My particular brand of completely random toilet humor seemed to amuse her.

"You're so weird." She said.

"What else is new?" I joked. "Let's go."

We made our way into the hallway. The lively hustle and bustle of students had been replaced with a lonely echo whenever our feet hit the ground.

"So how was your day?" I asked. "After I got knocked out."

"The rest of my day?" She repeated. "Well..."

"Let me guess." I interrupted. "You spent it looking at my sleeping face, right?"

"What!? N-No! I mean... Maybe. It's like... You see..." She faltered. "I-I was worried about you, alright?"

"We've had this conversation three times, I believe." I pointed out. "Don't worry about it."

"But your injury...!"

"Eh? This thing?" I asked, pointing to the bandage wrapped around my head. "Nothing a good night's sleep won't fix."

"Why are you so laid-back about everything?" Filia asked.

"I'm just that kind of guy." I explained. "I like to think of myself as one of those 'inner rage' type people, you know?"

"Not really."

"I'm usually calm and laid-back and all that. But when the red mist descends, I could crush boulders with my bare hands."

"R-Red mist?"

"It's a metaphor. For being angry." I explained. "A bit like what happened between me and Cerebella. But I wasn't angry back then. Just competitive."

"So what you're saying is that you weren't taking that game seriously?"

"Kind of. I was trying pretty hard during that." I replied. "You've yet to see me when I'm angry."

"After that, I'm not sure I want to."

We came to the entrance. Due to the lack of rain, we had no quarrels with simply throwing the doors open.

"It's cold!" I complained. The freezing air seeped into the doors as soon as we opened them. I threw my arms around my torso.

"Quit complaining." Filia said, marching straight into the cold.

"Y-You're crazy..." I said. "How can you say that while wearing a skirt...?"

It wasn't snowing, by any means. Even with the rain, our walk home two days ago was still warmer than this.

Filia walked like the cold was nothing to her. Meanwhile, I was busy trying to avoid turning into an ice cube.

"It's not that bad..." Filia said. I detected a hint of pity in her voice.

"You're a demon..." I replied. "There can't be another explanation. This whole friendship thing has just been a ploy to steal my soul, hasn't it?"

"I think the cold is messing with your brain."

"Whatever." I replied. "I just want to get home, get into bed and curl up into a tiny ball. Perhaps I'll lament on my life and the choices I've made."

"You don't seem to like the cold that much..."

"Nah. Being too cold is a lot better than being too hot."

"Really?" Filia asked. "Why's that?"

"If you're too hot, then you get all sweaty. Your clothes stick to your back and it feel all horrible and stuff. It's also really hard to stop being too hot. Whereas if you're too cold, then it's just a few goosebumps. And it's really easy to get rid of."

"I've only just realized it, but you seem to make a big deal out of the smallest things."

"I'm just nitpicking." I replied.

Just as I finished my sentence, I noticed a familiar fork in the road. We came to a halt, both staring in the respective directions of our homes.

"I guess this is where we part ways." Filia said.

"Yup." I replied. "Do I get a goodbye kiss?"

"W-What makes you think I'd kiss you!?"

"You know you want to..." I said, leaning my body forward.

"Weirdo." Filia said, back-stepping. I would've landed face-down on the ground if I hadn't expected her to do that.

"You're blushing." I pointed out.

"S-Shut up!" She shouted. "Any girl would blush if a guy asked her to kiss him!"

"Say what you want, Filia." I replied. "I understand that our forbidden love can't possibly be revealed to anyone-"

"S-Since when did it become forbidden...?"

"-And I appreciate that you're trying to hide it from those around us-"

"You're weird."

"-But rest assured, my fair maiden, that one day, I shall reveal to the ignorant the true power of our love!"

"I'm going to go now." Filia said.

"Alright." I replied. "See you later."

"Y-You changed demeanor so quickly..."

And, like that, Filia walked off to her respective side of the road. I simply stood there, crossing my arms as she rounded a corner at the end of the street. I chuckled to myself after she was gone.

"She's fun to mess with." I spoke to myself. I shifted my weight, turning to face my side of the forked street. I began to walk down the quiet road, my arms still clinging tightly to my body.

"It's just a running joke." I said to myself. "...Right?"


	6. Chapter 6

"Good morning, everyone!"

I shouted a greeting at the top of my voice. Every pair of eyes in the classroom fell on me, silently judging me for being so optimistic at this time in the morning.

"You people are no fun." I complained. My classmates ignored me and went back to talking with each other. I mustered a frown as I trudged towards my desk at the window.

Today was a Friday. The fabled day where every student raised their hands into the air and proclaimed 'Thank goodness we don't have to work seven days a work, or this might have really turned ugly.' Saturday came, and we cursed under our breaths after realizing that we'd just wasted an entire day sleeping and accomplishing nothing whatsoever.

Well, that's how I spend my Saturdays, at least.

"Planning anything for the weekend, Filia?"

"H-Huh!? How did you-"

"I bet you thought I didn't see you coming, right?" I asked. "Thought you could sneak in a quick peck on the cheek without me noticing, eh?"

For good measure, I made sure to nudge her shoulder.

"I-I was just wondering what you were doing!" She shouted. "That's all!"

"I was daydreaming." I replied "Wondering what to do over the weekend."

"What would you usually be doing?"

"Sleeping." I answered.

"Ah..." She said. "Sounds pretty boring."

"What about you?" I asked. "What's so interesting about your weekends?"

"Well, I'd usually go outside with the rest of the girls..."

"Friends!" I exclaimed, pounding a fist into my open palm. "I have those! I could join you!"

"If you're so excited about it..."

"So what do you do?" I asked. "Do you go to bars and drink irresponsibly?"

"W-What kind of people do you think we are!?"

"Eh?" I mumbled. "You're young adults, right? Aren't you supposed to be doing something along those lines?"

"That logic also applies to you too, you know?"

"Nah. I don't drink." I explained. "I'm trouble enough without alcohol running through my blood."

The bell rang.

"You should go back to your desk." I said. "We can continue this conversation later."

Filia nodded. We ushered a quick goodbye to each other before she returned to her desk on the opposite side of the room. I spent the majority of our first lesson daydreaming. Particularly on what Filia had said to me. What other reason would you have to gather up all of your friends and go out other than doing something completely irresponsible like drinking or loitering in areas where there is a sign that rather obviously states 'No Loitering' in bold letters.

I hadn't made a single 'guy' friend in this school, so to speak. I suppose you could count Cerebella's naturally tomboyish attitude as being similar to that of a male's, but I couldn't help but feel slightly unhinged at the fact that I had a knack for befriending females and only females. It was like one of those pseudo-romance novels where the main character is practically surrounded by women most of the time.

I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

I was snapped out of my daydream by the bell ringing once more. Being a Friday, most of the students were pretty eager to get the day over with, meaning that nearly everyone had piled out of the room within the first minute of the bell ringing.

"You waited for me." I said. "How nice of you."

"You'd probably complain if I left you behind." Filia replied.

"True." I admitted. "You've piqued my interest with this whole 'weekend meetup' thing."

"It's really not that impressive." She replied. "Usually, we just walk around and chat."

"Isn't that what you do in school?"

"It doesn't hurt to communicate outside of school."

"I suppose not." I said.

"You're free to join us, if you want." Filia said.

"Are you asking me out on a date? " I asked.

"N-No! Why did you think that!?"

"When I asked about your little outings, you had a weird look on your face." I clasped my hands together. "I bet you were thinking something along the lines of 'H-He's interested in my life outside of school? This is my chance! M-Maybe I could invite him out with me on the weekend or something...'."

"I wasn't thinking that!" Filia yelled in response.

"That's not very convincing when you're blushing..."

"Are you coming or not!?"

"Heh... I suppose." I answered. "...A date, right?"

"I'm not sure why I bother..."

The day continued without incident. Most of the girls seemed pleased with my decision to join them, with the obvious exception of Cerebella, who stated that 'There's no way I'm spending more time around him than I have to'. She also apologized to me for the dodgeball incident yesterday, albeit in a 'I'm totally not doing this because I feel bad, okay?' manner.

Lessons flew by, and before I knew where I was, the day was already over. Our little group met up at the school gates and exchanged a few words before parting ways. Me and Filia remained, subconscious accepting the fact that us walking home together was now officially a common occurrence.

"Allow me to repeat that." I said. "We meet up at madman's cafe tomorrow at one, right?"

"For the last time, yes."

"Madman's cafe, huh..." I mumbled. "Doesn't sound like a nice place at all."

"Don't ask me why it's called that." Filia replied. "Don't let the name worry you. It's a really nice place."

"I'm sure it is." I said. "Everyone's going to be there, right?"

"Unless someone ends up ill."

"Now wouldn't it be nice if everyone just conveniently ended up ill?" I asked. "Then it'd just be me and you..."

"W-What makes you think I'd want to spend a day out with you?" Filia pouted.

"Are you trying to say that you wouldn't enjoy my company?"

"Yeah! Well... Not really. It's just... You know..." She stuttered.

"Heh... You're easily flustered." I pointed out. "Has anyone ever told you that?"

"No." She replied. "Never."

"Ah, so it really is true love..." I mumbled wishfully, placing my hands together.

"Shut up..." Filia demanded. "Do you do this to every girl you meet?"

"Nope." I replied. "You're just too cute when you're embarrassed, Filia."

Her face was getting redder by the minute. She kept her head low, trying to hide her blush from me.

"Uh..." She mumbled. "S-See you later..."

I hadn't even noticed that we had approached the trademark fork in the road that signaled our separation. Filia walked away, quickly disappearing from my line of sight while making sure to keep her head turned away from me.

"What an odd girl..." I muttered to myself, making my way home.

* * *

"Late, huh?" I said to no-one in particular, staring at the watch on my wrist.

"Perhaps this whole ordeal was just a ruse to pull a nasty prank on me." I continued. "That would suck."

I raised my head. I was standing against the front of a small building. A small banner above the doorway clearly read 'Madman's Cafe'. If I recalled correctly, this was where we were supposed to meet up.

It was a cold morning. I watched my breath condense into the air, occasionally sneaking a glance at my watch. As time passed, I started wondering to myself why I simply didn't wait inside the cafe. I turned my head. A few souls were scattered around the small establishment, quietly sipping away at hot beverages that they hugged tightly in their hands.

It looked appealing. I estimated that the entrance was at least six steps away from my location. Then again, that's six steps I could be using for something much more productive. I decided against it, bringing up my watch and whispering a quick prayer that everyone would turn up soon.

"One-twenty..." I muttered to myself. "Is this what they call being 'fashionably late'?"

I asked myself why I put up with this nonsense.

"C."

I could be at home, snuggled up next to the fireplace with a bowl of questionably nutritious confectionery goods.

"C."

I could be doing my homework, or pestering those other friends that I totally have.

"C?"

It had only just come to my attention that someone appears to be having trouble reciting the alphabet. Perhaps I should-

"C!"

I felt a sharp collision to the side of my head. I yelped in surprising pain. The cold air made it feel a lot worse than it actually should have.

"Heh..." I chuckled to myself, raising a hand to cover the side of my head. "Finally decided to turn up, eh?"

"How long were you waiting?" Filia asked.

"Not too long." I replied. "Was it you who was shouting the letter C constantly?"

"Uh..." She mumbled. "Yeah."

"D, Filia. It's followed by D." I explained. "It isn't that hard."

"T-That's not what I was trying to do!" She shouted. "It was..."

"It was...?" I repeated.

"A nickname." She answered. "For you."

"A nickname?" I questioned. "Just the letter C? Seems a little bland, in my own opinion."

"It's the first letter of your name, isn't it?" Another voice chipped in.

Behind Filia were the others. Much to Filia's completely obvious distaste, everyone appeared to be alive and well. I'd by lying if I wasn't honestly expecting Filia to poison their breakfasts or something. Perhaps I'm just a little too judgmental in my thoughts.

"Do you really have to call me something?" I asked. "I liked it the way it was. All mysterious and stuff."

"We mutually agreed on it." Filia explained. "We figured you wouldn't want just an ordinary nickname."

"I'd prefer not having one at all, in fact..."

"Too bad." She replied. "Because that's what we're going to call you from now on."

"I don't get a say in this at all?"

"Nope."

"You're a harsh mistress, Filia." I said. "But that's why I love you."

Critical hit.

Filia's face darkened into that lovely red color like it always did when I complimented her.

"I'm going to start keeping track of how many times I make you embarrassed."

"I-I'm not embarrassed!" She yelled. "It's just the cold."

I heard Cerebella snicker from a safe distance. I would have pointed out Filia's blatant lies if I weren't such an awesome guy.

"But seriously, I don't really have any objections to you calling me that." I said. "Can we head inside now? My hands are freezing."

We all shared a few nods of approval before piling into the small establishment. The barista seemed understandably surprised that so many people suddenly decided to tumble into such a small cafe.

The interior was reminiscent of the bars and restaurants that you would see in days long forgotten. A large counter stretched to either end of the room, with a substantial amount of stools lining the outside of it. Near the windows, some chairs were set up next to some moderately-sized tables.

It was a pleasant little place. Why someone decided on the name 'Madman's cafe' was beyond any train of thought I could possibly relate to.

We moved ourselves onto the stools in front of the counter. I couldn't be bothered to mention that sitting here would make talking to each other a lot harder than if we were sitting at the tables.

The barista politely asked us if we wanted anything. I ordered a coffee. I silently thanked myself for taking the initiative and actually bringing some money with me.

Within minutes, the steaming beverage was placed on the counter in front of me. I looked to my sides, seeing that everyone else had ordered the same. The only exception to this was Filia, who rather enthusiastically ordered a large milkshake.

"Having a milkshake when it's this cold outside..." I remarked. "You really are a demon."

Filia stuck her tongue out at me. I returned my gaze to the cup of coffee, gently wrapping my hands around it and basking in the warmth it let out.

I hated coffee.

I ordered it because it was warm, not because I wanted to drink it. But it wasn't as if I could just leave it sitting there. I looked around, begrudgingly taking note that everyone appeared to be enjoying their beverage. Sighing heavily, I cautiously brought the cup of black poison to my mouth, allowing a small amount of it to enter my system.

O, Trinity. Why must you curse me with such daunting tasks?

I put the coffee back down, trying my best to keep a straight face as the black liquid coursed down my throat. I simply couldn't do that again. I could've died if I'd drank any more of that disgusting black tar.

"Not thirsty, C?"

It took me a few seconds to realize that Filia was addressing me. This was going to take some getting used to.

"Ah... I suppose not..." I replied, cringing as I remembered the taste. "You wolfed through that pretty quickly, didn't you?"

I was, of course, referring to the milkshake that Filia ordered. Nearly three-quarters of it were gone already.

"This place makes the best milkshakes." Filia explained. "I'm a regular here."

That would certainly explain why she suggested it to be our meeting spot. It didn't explain her unique tendency to inhale milkshakes at an alarming pace.

Idle conversation continued on like this for the next ten minutes, over which the volume of coffee in my cup consistently decreased in a painfully slow manner. My mind silently prayed for the end of this torture.

Eventually, every drop of coffee had made its way into my system. I felt horrified at the fact that the horrendously repulsive black goop was now circulating its way around my body. The disgusting taste of caffeine lingered in my mouth.

"You okay, C?" Cerebella asked. "You don't look too hot."

...

Oh, right.

"I assure you, I'm perfectly fine." I answered. "Must be the weather."

"Shall we go?" Squigly asked, polite as ever. We all exchanged nods before lowering ourselves from the seats.

It had gotten warmer outside. It was still pretty cold, but at least my hands weren't at risk of falling off anymore.

I've yet to see another day that went in so quickly. Our little group continued traversing the town, talking nonsense while visiting various stores and landmarks. Before any of us even realized it, the sun was already beginning to set. I couldn't help but feel a slight tinge of disappointment as the group slowly started to disband. As we waved a goodbye to Cerebella, our 'group' had been reduced to me and Filia.

"Even on the weekends, you and I always end up together at the end of the day." I said.

"Must be coincidence." Filia replied.

"Perhaps so." I said. "Or perhaps fate is bringing us together."

"I doubt that."

"Know that one day, Filia, you will understand my undying affection for you."

Subconsciously, we started to walk towards that familiar fork in the road.

"There's no need to get all melodramatic about it..."

"I wasn't being melodramatic." I replied. "I was being dead serious."

"Shut up."

"Oh, come now, Filia." I said. "Are you trying to tell me you don't enjoy my antics?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"Liar." I proclaimed, a bright smile on my face.

Filia punched me on the shoulder. I didn't bother trying to dodge it.

"You're a weirdo."

"That I am." I replied happily.

The rest of our short trip continued in silence. I didn't actually know where I was going, so I spent the majority of my time following behind Filia.

"You do this every Saturday?" I asked, loud enough for Filia to hear.

"Yeah." She replied. "You're always free to join us."

As long as I didn't have to sit through that nightmare of a cafe ever again, I would gladly oblige.

It took us about another twenty minutes worth of walking before we arrived at the fork in the road.

"This is where we say goodbye, I suppose." I said. "I'll see you on Monday."

"Hey..." Filia mumbled quietly. It was by sheer luck that I actually heard her.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Could you..." She started. "Could you close your eyes for a second?"

"...Eh?"

"J-Just for a second!" She blurted out.

"Seems like an odd request all of a sudden." I said.

"Just do it!"

I'm not particularly sure what possessed me to close my eyes. If anything, I should be the one intimidating Filia, not the other way around. I made note of the fact that she hadn't kept her promise of 'Just for a second'.

The wind that was blowing into my face suddenly stopped. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Filia had just moved something in front of my face. Perhaps it was a present of some sort.

Not that I'm complaining. I mean, after drinking that cup of coffee, I thought that I deserved a medal or something.

I was brought back to my senses by the feeling of something else against my face. It was similar to the wind, except much warmer. If anything, it felt comfortable.

My brain was acting up for some reason, almost as if there was something obvious that I was missing here. I scrambled together a list of things that Filia might present to me when I open my eyes.

The feeling of hot wind against my face was quickly replaced by something physically bumping into my left cheek. The feeling lasted for a few seconds before withdrawing.

"Huh?" I mumbled under my breath. "What was that just now?"

Filia let out a short cry akin to that of a squeak followed by the rapid sounds of her footsteps. By the time I had opened my eyes, she had already turned a corner, escaping from my sight.

"What was that all about?" I asked myself, lifting a hand to my cheek. It felt slightly wet.

"Ah..." I sighed. "Did she..."

The constant state of alarm my brain was in seemed to make a lot more sense now that I had pieced the puzzle together. I felt a little brain-dead in the ensuing seconds.

"Heh." I chuckled. "I'm an idiot, aren't I?"

I set off for my side of the street, an unusual spring in my step. I lifted my hand and placed it over my cheek once more.

"And she calls me the weird one." I said.


	7. Chapter 7

Today was a Sunday.

I had been laying in my bed for the last hour simply admiring the craftsmanship of the ceiling.

I had nothing to do today. I was bored.

No plans. No school. No nothing. I let out a heavy sigh as I raised myself from the bed. I wasn't going to accomplish anything by just sleeping all day.

Breakfast was first priority. The prospect of a healthy meal raised my hopes that today wouldn't be just a pile old pile of nothingness. Lazily, I made my way out of the room, treading slowly towards the kitchen. I subconsciously grabbed two slices of bread and promptly shoved them into the toaster.

Making breakfast gave me time to recollect my thoughts. As I remembered it, yesterday was a pretty interesting day. Probably much more interesting than today was ever going to get. I had a mild headache, and silently prayed that I didn't do anything too irresponsible.

I remembered the coffee incident almost immediately. The thought made me cringe with fear that I'd ever have to commit such an atrocious act ever again. The rest of the day remained a blur, which was kind of terrifying, although I do remember having quite a substantial amount of fun, so I suppose it wasn't all bad.

It was just me and Filia at the end of it, if I recall correctly. We both went our separate ways after we reached the fork in the road.

"Ah..." I mumbled to myself. I lifted a hand to my left cheek, slowly remembering the 'gift' that Filia had given me.

"That was... a kiss... Right?" I asked myself. Filia never mentioned anything about a gift, or even told me she wanted to give me something. She simply told me to close my eyes. For whatever reason, I obliged.

"Though I never expected that she would..."

I shook my head. It was too early in the morning for this.

I heard the toaster finish as two lightly-heated slices of bread popped out from the top. I retrieved the toast and a plate, combining the two together and thus creating breakfast. Most people considered me odd for eating toast in the mornings rather than substituting it for something more healthy, like cereal. But then again, people consider me odd for a lot of different reasons.

The toast didn't help with my mood. I cursed those who once lectured me that breakfast was the most important meal of the day.

The constant pitter-patter I kept hearing suggested that it was raining outside. I hadn't opened any of the curtains yet, so I didn't know for sure. I walked back to my room, grabbing the curtains and throwing them aside. My assumptions were correct. The rain wasn't particularly heavy, but rain nonetheless.

I kind of like the rain. I think I told Filia that when we trekked through that horrendous downpour a few days ago. I don't particularly enjoy getting my clothes soaked, but I quite enjoy listening to the sounds of the rain.

I stood at the window for a few more minutes, simply spacing out.

I had been at this school for a week now. In that time, I've amassed friends and a reputation for being a little odd. All of my friends are girls, because I'm too good to have friends of my own gender.

"Perhaps I should go outside..." I mumbled. I pulled myself away from the window, grabbing an overcoat from my wardrobe.

I had an affinity for smart clothing. Trench coats and overcoats were usually my clothing of choice. I liked how intelligent they made you look.

The rain was still prominent. I contemplated bringing an umbrella with me. After all, I didn't want to ruin my beautiful overcoat. I spent the next ten minutes fumbling around in drawers looking for an umbrella. After finding one, I made my way to the front door.

I decided to walk to the school and back. Perhaps I'll think of something to do by the time I get back.

The streets were completely empty. Not many cars came through here, which was odd considering how close this town was to the city. It gave the town a nice, quaint atmosphere about it. Then again, the reason no-one was around was probably due to the fact that I was the only person stupid enough to take a stroll in the pouring rain.

I placed my free hand into the pocket of my overcoat; the ultimate sign of intelligence.

"I've only just realized the absurdity of my actions." I said to myself. It's no wonder why everyone at school avoids me. Apart from my friends, of course. Although I'm sure even they question my sanity at some points.

Oh well. No point in stopping here.

I felt a little odd when I passed the fork in the road. My hand subconsciously moved up to my cheek.

"What was that supposed to be?" I asked myself. "A gift? For being a good friend?"

I don't know what I'd do if I were to congratulate someone on being a good friend, but I probably wouldn't kiss them on the cheek. Was there some kind of motive behind Filia's actions? Is this just some sort of custom for the town? If that was true, then there'd be no reason for her to run away afterwards. While in on the subject, who does that? Who kisses someone on the cheek and then runs away without even explaining anything?

"Ah... I'm rambling."

I tend to get carried away in my thoughts. I'm sure Filia just meant it as a pleasant gesture, and was just embarrassed afterwards.

But there was a discrepancy. A small, lingering doubt that remained at the back of my mind. What if that isn't what she wanted to express? Could I interpret the kiss as being a form of affection for me? It wasn't like me to be thinking like this.

Filia was a pretty girl, without a doubt. I'm sure she's had to turn down a few guys ever since she started school. By that logic, there would be no reason why she'd be interested in me. My unkempt, messy hair and my complete disregard for how I looked made me the opposite of what girls would find attractive.

I need to stop thinking about this. I should probably be focusing on-

As I raised my head, I quickly spotted someone walking directly at me. Barely given enough time to react, I grunted as my body crashed into the stranger's. I rebalanced myself before I fell over, but the other person wasn't so lucky.

"Oof!" The stranger grunted, tumbling to the ground. The voice sounded feminine.

"Ah... I'm sorry." I muttered. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"...C?" The voice replied. "Is that you?"

I quickly recognized the voice, retracting my umbrella and rushing over to help her up.

"Squigly..." I spoke. "I apologize."

Squigly, using my arm as support, lifted herself up and flashed a small smile in my direction before responding.

"It's perfectly fine, C." She said. "I wasn't hurt."

"Thank goodness." I replied. "Ah... Seems I ruined your clothes."

No rips or tears were visible, but a large portion of Squigly's clothing was damp from landing on the wet ground. I felt a little bad for getting too engrossed in my thoughts. I bent down, reaching for the umbrella that I assumed she was using. I handed it back to her with an apologetic smile.

"It wasn't all your fault, C." She said, taking the umbrella. "I wasn't paying attention, either."

"Heh..." I chuckled. "I guess we're both at fault then."

We shared a quick laugh with each other.

"I wasn't expecting to bump into you, C." Squigly said. "What brings you here?"

"I didn't really have anything planned for today, so I decided to take a walk." I explained.

"In the rain?" She added, bemused.

"It sounds pretty weird when you put it like that..." I replied, scratching the back of my head. "What about you?"

"I suppose my situation is similar to yours." She said. "I went for a stroll, but before the rain came on. I'm glad I brought an umbrella with me."

"Right..." I replied. "Did you have fun yesterday?"

"Yes. I have to say I've never quite had an outing as lively as that was." She replied, nodding. "It pained me when I had to leave."

"Yeah... Everything started getting a little calmer when everyone started leaving."

"Who was the last to leave?"

"Cerebella, if I remember correctly." I answered. "Leaving me and Filia."

"I see..." Squigly said. "Have you spoken to her recently?"

"Filia?" I asked. "Well, the last time we talked was when..."

A vivid memory replayed in my mind for the umpteenth time. I cut off my sentence early, leaving Squigly confused.

"Yesterday." I replied. "We last spoke when we parted ways yesterday."

"Right..." Squigly replied. "She was texting me earlier. She sounded... Distraught, for lack of a better term."

A small thought at the back of my mind said that I knew why.

"Distraught?" I asked. "What do you mean?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it." Squigly replied. "She sounded as if she was... confused. And her texts always led back to you in some way."

"Yeah, well..." I started. "I guess you could say something happened yesterday."

"You didn't fall out, did you?" She asked.

"No, no! Nothing like that!" I hastily replied.

Squigly squinted her eyes, almost as if she was trying to analyse me.

"It wasn't anything..." She started, her voice lowered. "...Indecent, was it?"

"E-Eh?" I stuttered. "What kind of person do you take me for, Squigly?"

"You stuttered." She stated.

"After being accused of something like that, who wouldn't?" I replied.

"So what happened?" She pursued.

What happened?

Well, she kissed me, didn't she? On the cheek, I mean. Not that I could tell something like that to Squigly. My brain frantically scrambled for excuses, Squigly's eyes constantly boring into me. She had pointed out every other possible reason why Filia would be embarrassed, leaving me between a rock and a hard place.

"She..." I began. "She kissed me, all right?"

"Really?"

"W-Well, not on the lips. Just on the cheek, y'know?" I corrected myself. "I don't know, alright? She asked me to close my eyes."

A few seconds of silence passed. I was quite glad it was raining today, lest anyone hear what we were talking about.

"Did you enjoy it?" Squigly asked.

"Eh?"

"The kiss." She explained. "Did you enjoy it?"

"Oh. Er..." I started. "...It wasn't unpleasant."

"Then there's nothing to be ashamed about, right?"

"I suppose not." I replied. "Even if it was a little abrupt."

Squigly let out a quiet giggle.

"I think she likes you."

"I can't help but notice you lack the concrete evidence needed to prove that."

"C, she kissed you."

"And?" I said, shrugging my shoulders. "Might've just been a gesture of good friendship, for all we know."

"You're a very stubborn person, C." She said with a smile.

"Heh." I chuckled. "Perhaps."

"Even if it was just out of friendship, Filia seems pretty embarrassed about it all."

"I'd probably be pretty embarrassed if I just up and kissed one of my friends."

"I'm not saying she's just mildly flushed over the incident." She said. "She's been texting me all day about it."

Squigly held out her hand, presenting a small phone to me. I moved my head closer, peering into the small display.

Sure enough, there were a bunch of message logs between her and Filia, stretching back to 12:30pm yesterday. I didn't ask Squigly to open any of the messages. Not that I couldn't, I just really didn't want to.

"I'm sure it's just a mild case of 'Oh dear I certainly hope C didn't take that kiss too seriously'."

"Did you take it seriously?" Squigly asked.

A long silence fell. As simple as that question was, even I wasn't sure how to answer it. Eventually, I opened my mouth.

"Of course not." I replied. My voice was shaky, and I silently prayed that Squigly didn't see through my frustratingly horrid lie.

She looked me in the eyes for a few seconds, assessing my answer. I was almost completely certain that she'd seen right through me.

"Okay." She said. "I believe you."

"Really?" I asked. "Because this is the part where I expected you to pounce on me and start yelling stuff like 'Can't your underdeveloped frontal lobe understand the implications of lying in such a crucial moment!? Honestly, why do I even bother listening to someone like you!?'"

"I think your interpretation of me is rather frightening, really..." She said. "...Are you trying to say that you were lying?"

"That's something for you to figure out, Squigly." I said. "Preferably when you're VERY far away from me."

Squigly giggled again.

"I think you should talk to Filia." She said. "Whether it's today or tomorrow, I think you two need to sit down and chat."

"I don't even know where she lives, so I doubt it's going to be today." I said.

"As long as it happens at some point."

"Can't you just do it for me?" I asked. "I'm not too accustomed to this whole 'angst' thing."

Squigly smiled and walked past me, giving me a punch on the shoulder as she did it.

"Good luck, C." She said, walking off.

"Heh... Thanks." I replied.

I watched as Squigly rounded a corner, quickly disappearing from my view. I'm not entirely sure how long I continued to stand there for, but the rain had picked up significantly when I came back to reality. I cursed under my breath, slowly realizing what I had unintentionally gotten myself into. I cursed a second time for even walking outside in the first place.

I contemplated attempting the rare and highly dangerous x3 curse combo, but I couldn't think of anything else to berate myself for.

Oh yeah. The toast was sub-par.

Damn my culinary incompetence.


End file.
